Opponents
by logica
Summary: A missing scene from The Long Goodbye.


DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from 'Stargate: Atlantis'. They're not my property.

* * *

"You people don't know how to fight, Phoebus. That's why we're gonna win the war!" He swung around the corner and fired a single blast at her. 

His arrogance had no limits. "This war's not over _yet_!" She fired her weapon his way, hoping at least one damn bullet would puncture that flesh and hit a vital organ.

The spray of bullets touched everything else but him.

Her aim was usually excellent, but sometimes the strong emotion of anger would throw it off. This was one of those times.

When the weapon was silenced, the two opponents remained glued to the pillars; each was anticipating a move from the other. "You were never the best shot," Thalan mocked her. "It's actually amazing that you're the last survivor of your people!"

She huffed. "Then throw away that gun, step aside and let's see if my aim has improved!"

There was no response to her answer. Phoebus leaned slightly to see the reason. An empty pillar came into view, but the realization did not give her proper time to respond to anything when a firm kick knocked the rifle away from her hands. A hard fist hit her face, snatching her balance with it.

Warm blood touched her palm as she looked up to see the edge of the gun pointed at her face. She knew he wanted her to look at him, to have his eyes boring into hers with smugness of triumph before he pulled that trigger. Phoebus wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. With heavy breathing, she kept staring at the edge of the cold weapon.

"This is gutless," she said.

He smirked. "Consider yourself lucky that I don't have your psychopathic behavior."

Her eyes remained on the gun. "You just keep waiting, Thalan. You…" she moved her right leg slowly and cautiously. "…just keep _waiting_!" Her leg suddenly swung around knocking him to the ground. Phoebus quickly wiped the blood from her mouth and sprung forward. She stepped on Thalan's already injured arm and then kicked it intensely, preventing him from reaching for the gun. She stretched her arm out to get the weapon but her legs were soon trapped by his, throwing her to the floor.

"Not so easily!" he said. Thalan then aimed to grab her neck but she caught his wrist at the same time when she freed her legs and kicked his stomach following it with a kick in the face with her elbow. Phoebus sprung up again but was soon grabbed by the wrists and slammed against the wall. "Whatever happened to make love and not war?"

She licked her bloody mouth, her eyes shimmering faintly in the scarce light. "Oh, believe me, Thalan. Even if there was no war, you couldn't handle me in that way _either_!"

Another smirked followed from him. "You think?" He released one wrist to hit her but she blocked it in time and struck back with a punch to the face and then another kick to the stomach sending Thalan to the floor, leaving him temporarily gasping for air.

"You would never manage to keep up," she dared him and rushed to grab her rifle. Only an inch separated her from the weapon when he caught her, gluing her back to his chest as his arms held her too tight to move. A few drops of warm blood from his nose fell on her shoulder, staining the vest.

"You're a poor judge of character in that case," he responded, the wasted energy combined with a heavy surge of renewing adrenaline apparent in his heavy breathing. If it wasn't a battle for victory and survival, Thalan probably would have considered trying a taste of her. But right now he wished that annoying voice of his host would shut the fuck up, especially each time he would hit the woman. Sensing an attack, he threw her to the side where her body collided with the wall. A moan was heard.

Despite the pain, the feeling of frustration was something shared by Phoebus as well. The other consciousness begged her to stop and Phoebus found that nagging voice more irritating by the second. Her host was not in the best physical shape to continue fighting in this way, making this a disadvantage for her. She needed that rifle. This time her fingers felt the metal and she grabbed it. Standing up, she had him in her aim. "Now, this is better," she said. Her hand touched her face, wiping the remaining bloody traces from her lips, and then quickly rubbed it off on the surface of her dark pants.

Both enemies stood there facing each other.

"You know, since we're the last of our peoples and have, oh I don't know how many hours or minutes, even, to live…Why don't we finish this in another way?" Thalan said and wiped the traces of blood from his face.

"I'm not going there."

"You didn't even hear my suggestion."

"I'll only be wasting my time."

"That's too bad, because I'll say it anyway. Even Sheppard agrees."

"Don't bother. Trading this for sex, huh?" She laughed. "You'll try anything when you're on the other side of the gun."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said your new body wasn't attractive. I mean, hey, we already started with a kiss." He took a step forward.

"Don't," she warned him, raising the weapon slightly while taking a cautious step back. But her foot stepped on a broken piece of unknown equipment that skewed not only her balance but her aim as well.

This was enough for Thalan to reach for his gun and fire it. Nearly escaping the blast, Phoebus ran through the doors.

**END**

Author's note: Special thank you to** Jess**. :-)


End file.
